Jeb Bush Gets Something Off His Chest: “Donald Trump Is a Jerk”

Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Jeb Bush take part in the presidential debates at the Reagan Library on September 16, 2015 in Simi Valley, California.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Jeb Bush continued taking aim squarely at Donald Trump on Saturday, insisting on what has almost become a motto: “you can’t insult your way to the presidency.” Except, it seems, if he’s the one doing the insulting. Speaking at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Saturday, Bush said: “Just one other thing—I gotta get this off my chest—Donald Trump is a jerk.” The crowd in Contoocook loved it and burst out in laughter and applause.

Bush uttered the line after someone who said he had Asperger’s Syndrome asked the former Florida governor about how he would support people with disabilities. Last month, Trump was heavily criticized after he appeared to mock a New York Times reporter who has a disability. "You can't disparage women, Hispanics, disabled people,” Bush said on Saturday. “Who is he kidding?”

Bush at one point even sounded incredulous that Trump kept on coming out on top in all the polls: “A guy like that should not be the front-running candidate of our great party. That is not how we win.” The frustration in Bush’s voice was evident throughout the rant. “I feel better now,” he said. “I gave myself therapy there. Thank you for allowing me to do it.”

The former Florida governor harshly criticized Trump on the same day as a super PAC supporting his run for the presidency released an ad that blasts the real estate mogul.

Daniel Politi has been contributing to Slate since 2004 and wrote the Today’s Papers column from 2006 to 2009. Follow him on Twitter.